Behind the Doors of Purgatory
by angelsquirrelandmoose
Summary: Summary: The story picks up after Castiel dies at the hands of Lucifer in the season 12 finale. He is now a prisoner in Purgatory where the archangel Raphael has declared himself king. Written in scenes instead of chapters, so some "chapters" may befairly short. My first story so reviews are appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Starting at his chest, the sharp blade gently dragged against his skin. It slowly formed a line up his neck, stopping just under the chin, forcing his blue eyes to meet those of his captor. Cas could feel the cold metal cuffs digging into his wrists as every muscle in his body tensed up. He was bound to a chair, his ankles secured tightly and his hands behind his back. The room was dark and reeked of blood and rot. Cas held his breath, but his heartbeat quickened.

"You're awake," came the calm, even voice from the other end of the blade.

"Raphael," Castiel gulped. His stomach dropped. The blade propped his chin up just a notch higher now. He was paralyzed‒ half in fear, half in wonder. "You're dead."

"So are you," Raphael smirked, "Welcome back to Purgatory, Brother. Of course, it's not quite the same as it was when you and the human vacationed here. Things changed when Heaven went out of business. All of the angels who died before or during the time that the gate to Heaven was closed ended up here. I raised up an army… became King of Purgatory."

"Then why am I here? Heaven has been restored."

"I may have intervened a little when I heard you had died. You seem to forget that I am an archangel. I have more power than you know."

"So, what, you're going to kill me? Get your revenge?" The blade lowered. Cas exhaled and let his head hang for a moment.

"You don't get it, do you?" crowed Raphael, "You are already dead. You can't die here." Raphael paused for a moment. A twisted smile formed on his face as he leaned forward toward Cas. He grabbed Cas firmly by the hair and pulled it back. "But you can suffer," Raphael hissed.

"Sir," uttered a nervous voice from the other end of the room. Raphael let out a sigh of frustration.

"What?!" Raphael's voice roared like thunder.

"You may want to come see this. There is an issue in cell 308," the voice responded. There seemed to be concern in Raphael's eyes for just a second. As he turned back to Castiel, his face hardened again. He hurried to a table in the back of the room and grabbed a rag. Hastily and forcefully, he tied it around Castiel's mouth and then stormed out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**NOTE: So, I wrote this before season 13 came out and then completely forgot about it so it doesn't quite line up with canon but it's surprisingly not too far off. Let me know what you guys think!**

Outside the large, metal door of cell 308 were two guards. They quaked at the sound of Raphael's distinctive footsteps coming closer. There was one rule in Purgatory‒ Don't upset the boss.

"What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?" demanded Raphael. His voice was rough and without the slightest trace of patience.

"I'm sorry, Sir, Master, King…" stuttered the first guard, "He‒ He won't eat. He refuses. He said he'd rather rot."

"Imbeciles," muttered Raphael, and with a snap of his fingers, the guards seemed to disintegrate, leaving nothing behind but the keys that dropped to the floor.

Raphael flicked his wrist and the door swung open. The inside resembled something of a jail cell on earth. It was small and there was an old bed in the corner, a barred window, and a small toilet and sink. The air was damp and had a metallic smell. In the far corner of the room, a man sat on the floor. He was slumped over, like there was no life in him. No hope. His hair was messily hanging in front of his face. The twinkle that had once lived in his honey-colored eyes had died. His smile had not been seen in months. He was a shell.

"Gabriel," sighed Raphael, "You need to eat." There was no answer. Gabriel didn't even look up. The silence was deafening. "Did you hear me?" Raphael continued. There was a long pause.

"What's the point?"

"I'm sorry?" Raphael asked, surprised by the weakness in his little brother's voice. It was almost unrecognizable.

"I said, 'What's the point?'" Now there was a hint of venom behind Gabriel's shakey voice. "You declared yourself king, stole my grace, beat me, and imprisoned me."

"I had no choice," Raphael shot back, "You were a threat to me. I couldn't have another archangel contesting my authority!"

"You're my brother, Raph," Gabriel's voice cracked. He now lifted his head to look at his brother. There were scars on his cheeks. Hot tears stung his eyes but he refused to let them fall.

"Do you even remember how you got here?" Raphael retorted, "You tried to kill Lucifer before he had the chance to battle Michael. That fight needed to happen. It was destiny and you almost ruined everything. And for what? The humans' sake? You chose those apes over family, and you want to give me the loyalty speech? You were a risk." Gabriel's head drooped again.

"What do you want me to say, Raph? Lucifer needed to be stopped. You needed to be stopped. The childish hatred and the fighting… I needed it to stop!" For the first time in months there was a spark of passion in Gabriel's voice again.

Raphael briskly walked over to Gabriel, pulled him up by his faded shirt, and pinned him against the cement wall. Gabriel hung limply, propped up only by Raphael's forceful grip

"Don't make me do this to you, Gabriel," Raphael whispered hoarsely, "You're right. Let's stop the fighting. Join me. I can give you your grace back. You can rule with me. Michael is in the cage. If we can take down Lucifer, we can reign in heaven, hell, and on earth. We can wipe everything out and start over. We'll live together in peace as a family like we did before Dad made the humans. Our power together would have no competition."

"I love you, Raphael, but you know as well as I do that humans were never the problem. We were. Dad loved the humans and we couldn't accept it. Well, guess what‒ I've accepted it and I will never join you in destroying them."

"Have it your way," Raphael growled, and with that, he threw Gabriel back onto the cold floor and left him there, slamming the door as he walked away.


End file.
